Monday, February 23, 2009

Goodbye Comcast !!

2 comments

It all started cause I needed to access “My Account” on comcast.com to view some info. Since I had not accessed the account in months, I had some trouble signing in (to put it mildly) with my password (which I had obviously forgotten).


What ensued was not just funny but a classic example of how a large corporation just simply loses customers due to poor (read crappy) support/service.Comcast has tried to provide every tool on the planet to help you with issues, suggestive help, call a number, chat with a rep online blah blah blah. Sadly none of them worked for a simple problem of resetting my password.


So I try logging in a few times and then realize I’ve obviously forgotten my password. I click the very friendly “Forgot your password” link and this is what it shows me.

Its telling me that my secret question has expired (whatever that means, since I had never set one) and then actually wants me to still submit one to proceed.



After giving up on forgot password I roam the site a little more to see if I can call them.


So I see this posted prominently on the site.

We're here for you 24/7. Just Ask Comcast 1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278)

Mind you this is at 10:00pm US Pacific time. I hit the IVR at Comcast the options available are;

- Issues with your service

- Billing inquiries

- Upgrade Service

- Downgrade Service

- Pay-per-View

So I hang up since neither of these options relate to website “My Account” login issues.



Then I see this tool which suggests that I chat with someone online right now. That sounds simple so I click it, enter literally 15 fields and then am presented with a set of pre-canned FAQ’s .. so no live chat :-(

Not to give up yet, I click one of the FAQ’s that looks really promising and here’s what it says.

https://www.comcastsupport.com/sdccommon/asp/defcontent_view.asp

Error Message: "Incorrect Password. Please try again. OR We do not have a

reminder question on file for this User Name.

To restore your account access, please

re-create your User Profile."


If you have forgotten your password, simpl

y answer your reminder question correctly and you will be allowed to

reset your password. If there is not a reminder question on file in our databa

se to retrieve your forgotten password, you need to re-create your profile. This is for security purp

oses as passwords are encrypted and cannot be retrieved.

To re-create your profile and overwrite the existing profile with that User

Name:
1. Click here to create a new profile.

2. Complete appropriate fields
3. Ensure Account Number and your Phone Number match the
information

on your Comcast Account
4. Click the Submit button
5. Your account access should now be restored

Adding/removing/changing account numbers tied to your profile.
In some areas, multiple

Comcast accounts can be viewed by logging into one profile. In these areas, simply login to your accou

nt and select UPDATE MY PROFILE from the bottom right. From here, use the drop-down menu to add and

remove accounts.
In other areas, only one Comcast account is allowed for each profile. In th

ese areas, you will need to cancel your existing profile and re-create it with your new account information.

To do so, follow the steps below.
1. Log in to your account and select the UPDATE

MY PROFILE section
from the bottom right
2. From here, select the CANCEL option on

the bottom of the screen
3. Follow steps to cancel profile
4. From the successful cancel screen, select the re-c

reate profile link
5. Follow the steps to create your profile



When I try all the crap that's been mentioned above I get the message below saying your account already exists …. Please login or call us



At this point I’m ready to move from Comcast … seriously. This is the second time they've pained me as a customer. The first was a ridiculous excuse for not being able to exchange my set top box for a HDMI one even though I had bought the HD service from them and was paying every month for it.


Now getting ready to send this to their VP of Customer Service. Who has a picture and profile posted online. See if he can really help.


The only question I really have for him is, have you ever used your own system Mr Germano??

Monday, February 2, 2009

3 LinkedIn Tell's to look out for

1 comments

A tell in poker is a subtle but detectable change in a player's behavior or demeanor that gives clues to that player's assessment of his hand. A player gains an advantage if he observes and understands the meaning of another player's tell, particularly if the tell is unconscious and reliable
Off late I've detecting a number of tell's through LinkedIn so wanted to share my top three and see if others have noticed it and agree. Or am I reading too much into the LinkedIn body language.

#1 - LinkedIn profile updated to 100%.

#2 - Posting status updates that read like " ... looking for newer challenges ..."

#3 - Adding recruiter to network. Evaluate and appraise or departure from company usually occurs in a few weeks or months.